This is a personal retirement projection tool. It models how your savings grow from today through retirement and then estimates how long they'll last during the drawdown phase, year by year.
It accounts for:
It does not replace a financial advisor. See the disclaimer at the bottom.
Fill in the fields from top to bottom. The projection updates automatically as you type — no submit button needed.
Enter your current account balances — what they're worth today, not your contribution history.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Traditional IRA | Balance in any rollover IRA or traditional IRA account |
| 401(k) / 403(b) | Your current employer plan balance (pre-tax) |
| Roth IRA | Roth IRA balance — contributions + growth, both tax-free at withdrawal |
| HSA | Health Savings Account balance. Calculator uses this for Medicare costs first before drawing from other accounts |
| Taxable Brokerage | After-tax investment accounts (not retirement-specific) |
The Total Portfolio shown below the fields is the sum of all five — this is the starting balance for your projections.
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Your birthdate | Used to calculate your current age, retirement age, RMD start year, and the Roth conversion window. The retirement date and Roth window auto-fill when you enter this. |
| Spouse birthdate | Used to calculate the spouse's SS claim year. Leave blank if no spouse or if spouse has no SS benefit. |
| Retirement date | The year you plan to retire. Auto-set to age 67 (full SS age) when you enter your birthdate. Adjust freely. |
| Annual expenses | Your estimated annual spending in retirement, in today's dollars. The calculator inflates this by 2.5%/year going forward. |
| Monthly contribution | How much you're adding to your portfolio each month between now and retirement. Set to $0 if you're already retired. |
| Expected return | Annual growth rate assumed for your portfolio during the accumulation phase (now → retirement). A common estimate is 6–8% for a diversified portfolio. Use the Bear / Normal / Bull buttons as a shortcut. |
| Volatility | Standard deviation of annual returns. Used in Monte Carlo scenarios if enabled. Typical stock/bond mixes range from 8–15%. |
Expand "Include additional annual investments" to model a lump-sum contribution made every year — for example, a bonus, inheritance, or side income you plan to invest.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Annual amount | How much extra you invest each year, on top of your monthly contribution. |
| Stop year | The last year you expect to make this extra contribution. After this year, only the monthly contribution applies. |
Set the amount to $0 (or leave the section collapsed) if this doesn't apply to you.
A Roth conversion moves money from a pre-tax account (Traditional IRA or 401k) to a Roth IRA. You pay income tax now, but all future growth is tax-free and no RMDs are required on Roth accounts.
The optimal window is usually between retirement and age 73–75 (when RMDs kick in), when your income is lower and you can fill lower tax brackets cheaply.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Convert from year | Auto-set to your retirement year. This is typically the first year your income drops significantly. |
| Convert through year | Auto-set to the year before your RMD start age (73 or 75 per SECURE 2.0 based on your birth year). After RMDs start, those forced withdrawals complicate conversions. |
| Other income in window | Any non-SS, non-portfolio income during this period — part-time work, rental income, pension, etc. This affects what tax bracket you're in. |
| Target bracket | The top federal tax bracket you're willing to fill with converted income. Common choices are 12% or 22%. The planner estimates how much you can convert each year without exceeding this bracket. |
The drawdown table shows year-by-year account balances from retirement until age 95, modeled under three fixed-rate scenarios:
These are fixed absolute return rates during retirement — independent of your accumulation-phase Expected Return. You can also set a Custom % using the slider.
The IRS requires you to withdraw a minimum amount from pre-tax accounts (IRA + 401k) each year starting at a set age:
RMDs are calculated using the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. Roth IRA and HSA accounts are exempt from RMDs during your lifetime.
The calculator depletes accounts in this order to maximize tax efficiency:
HSA funds are reserved for Medicare/IRMAA costs and drawn first for that purpose.
The calculator estimates Medicare Part B premiums starting at age 65, growing at 5%/year. If your income (MAGI) exceeds certain thresholds, IRMAA surcharges apply — the table includes a rough IRMAA estimate based on your pre-tax draws plus 85% of SS income.
The main chart shows your projected portfolio value from today through retirement, under Bear / Base / Bull expected return assumptions. The shaded area between Bear and Bull represents the range of outcomes.
The three numbers below the chart show your estimated portfolio value on your retirement date under each scenario. This becomes the starting balance for the drawdown table.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Year / Age | Calendar year and your age at that point |
| IRA / 401k / Roth / HSA | Balance in each account at year-end |
| SS Income | Total SS (yours + spouse) received that year |
| RMD | Required Minimum Distribution from pre-tax accounts |
| Expenses | Inflation-adjusted spending for that year |
| Net draw | Expenses minus SS income — what comes from your portfolio |
| Total balance | Sum of all accounts at year-end |
All data is stored locally in your browser using localStorage. Nothing is sent to any server. Your financial information never leaves your device.
Social Security
Expand "Include Social Security" to add SS income. This reduces the amount you need to draw from savings each year.
The Social Security estimator panel below the inputs shows a quick breakeven analysis between claim ages.